Optical amplification method and device usable with bands other than the C-band

Abstract

An optical amplifier includes an optical amplification medium, an excitation source to stimulate the amplification medium to output at least one wavelength gain peak, and a gain equalizer to equalize the output of the amplification medium such that gain is produced at wavelengths other than the wavelength gain peak. The gain equalizer may attenuate gain at the peak wavelength. The gain equalizer may equalize the output of the amplification medium such that gain is produced at wavelengths less than the wavelength gain peak. The optical amplifier may include both a gain equalizer and automatic level control circuitry to respectively maintain substantially uniform gain at wavelengths within an optical signal band and maintain constant output power.

Description

[0001]This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09 / 790,507, filed Feb. 23, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,633,429.CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0002]This application is based on and hereby claims priority to Japanese Application No. 046467 filed on Feb. 23, 2000 in Japan, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) amplifiers amplify optical signals that are composites of multiple wavelength optical signals. WDM optical communications systems relay multi-wavelength composite optical signals through multiple optical amplifiers.[0004]The band over which losses are low in optical fiber transmission circuits (less than approximately 0.3 dB / km) is the band from 1450 nm to 1650 nm. As shown in FIG. 1, a variety of optical fiber amplification devices have been developed for this transmission band.[0005]At present, with the popularity of cellular telephones and the rapid increase in in...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention relates to an optical amplifier that can produce a wavelength gain peak and equalize the output at wavelengths other than the peak. The amplifier includes an optical amplification medium, an excitation source, and a gain equalizer. The gain equalizer can attenuate the wavelength gain peak and produce a uniform gain at wavelengths within the amplification medium. The amplifier can be used in optical communication systems and can be controlled to maintain a constant gain over time. The invention also includes a method for amplifying optical signals in different wavelength bands using different amplification media. The technical effects of the invention include improved amplification and more stable gain characteristics over time.

Problems solved by technology

In FIG. 1, even though GS-TDFA (gain-shifted thulium-doped fluoride-based fiber amplifiers) are being developed for amplification in the S band region from 1490 nm to 1530 nm, GS-TDFA devices have a gain in the region between 1475 and 1510 nm, and thus it may be difficult for them to succeed in the portion of S band extending from 1510 to 1530 nm.

In addition, the 1610 to 1650 nm band is limited to specialty fibers that are either thulium or terbium-doped fluoride-based fibers.

However, there are problems in that the gain per unit length is small, so the optical amplification fibers must placed every several kilometers to every several dozen kilometers within the transmission line.

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